28 December - Joint statement by the UN in Syria, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and the International Committee of the Red Cross 26 December - Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Special Envoy for Syria11 December - International Syria Support Group meeting24 November: Statement attributable to the spokesperson of the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria
Geneva (24 November 2015) – In the context of his consultations following the meetings of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) in Vienna, United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura met early this week in Istanbul with representatives of the Syrian opposition, including on 23 November with a delegation of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (SOC), and on 24 November with delegations from armed opposition groups.
Mr. de Mistura briefed opposition delegates on the outcomes and the key deliverables reached by the ISSG, including the close linkage between a ceasefire and a parallel political process pursuant to the 2012 Geneva Communiqué.
In this context, the Special Envoy elaborated on his ongoing efforts to prepare for intra-Syrian talks under UN auspices, with a view to a Syrian-led process aimed at establishing credible, inclusive and non-sectarian governance and drafting a new constitution in Syria. “This initiative, now called the intra-Syrian talks, is building upon the Working Groups proposed by the Secretary-General and myself to the Security Council in July 2015 and endorsed by the Council in its 17 August presidential statement,” Mr. de Mistura said.
In this regard, Mr. de Mistura welcomed Saudi Arabia’s initiative to convene a delegation of the Syrian opposition.
During his meetings, the Special Envoy also recalled the ISSG’s agreement to support and work to implement a nationwide ceasefire in Syria to come into effect as soon as the political process has begun.

14 November - Statement of the International Syria Support Group6 November - Statement attributable to the Spokesperson of the Special Envoy for Syria30 October - Vienna Communique on Syria

Meeting in Vienna, on October 30, 2015, China, Egypt, the EU, France, Germany, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United Nations, and the United States [“the participants”] came together to discuss the grave situation in Syria and how to bring about an end to the violence as soon as possible.

The participants had a frank and constructive discussion, covering major issues. While substantial differences remain among the participants, they reached a mutual understanding on the following:

3) The rights of all Syrians, regardless of ethnicity or religious denomination, must be protected.

4) It is imperative to accelerate all diplomatic efforts to end the war.

5) Humanitarian access will be ensured throughout the territory of Syria, and the participants will increase support for internally displaced persons, refugees, and their host countries.

6) Da'esh, and other terrorist groups, as designated by the U.N. Security Council, and further, as agreed by the participants, must be defeated.

7) Pursuant to the 2012 Geneva Communique and U.N. Security Council Resolution 2118, the participants invited the U.N. to convene representatives of the Government of Syria and the Syrian opposition for a political process leading to credible, inclusive, non-sectarian governance, followed by a new constitution and elections. These elections must be administered under U.N. supervision to the satisfaction of the governance and to the highest international standards of transparency and accountability, free and fair, with all Syrians, including the diaspora, eligible to participate.

8) This political process will be Syrian led and Syrian owned, and the Syrian people will decide the future of Syria.

9) The participants together with the United Nations will explore modalities for, and implementation of, a nationwide ceasefire to be initiated on a date certain and in parallel with this renewed political process.

The participants will spend the coming days working to narrow remaining areas of disagreement, and build on areas of agreement. Ministers will reconvene within two weeks to continue these discussions.

2 October - Statement Attributable to the Spokesperson of the Special Envoy for Syria, Mr. Staffan de Mistura22 September - Statement attributable to the Spokesperson of the Special Envoy for Syria13 September - Statement of the Special Envoy for Syria to the Ministerial meeting of the League of Arab States

10 September - Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria1st September - Special Envoy for Syria met with the Deputy Foreign Minister of Arab African Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran17 August - Special Envoy for Syria condemned yesterday's air raids on the town of Duma 14 August - Special Envoy for Syria condemns shelling of Damascus Suburbs12 August - Special Envoy for Syria welcomes the release of human rights activist and journalist5 August - Secretary-General encouraged by Security Council’s support for latest proposal on Syria5 August - Special Envoy explains his proposal on thematic discussions29 July - Remarks by the Secretary-General to the Security Council on the situation in Syria

New York, 29 July 2015

After more than four years of slaughter, the Syrian conflict is a shameful symbol of the international community’s divisions and failure.

I am profoundly disappointed that this Council’s resolutions on Syria have not been implemented – neither on ending the violence nor on easing humanitarian suffering or combatting terrorism and foreign fighters.

Syria is the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, as you heard yesterday in harrowing detail from
the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs.

At least a quarter-million Syrians have been killed.

Almost half the country’s people -- 12 million men, women and children -- have been forced to flee their homes. In a massive cross-border exodus, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq are hosting an ever growing number of refugees, and increasing numbers of Syrians [are] making desperate flights across the Mediterranean in so-called “death boats”.

Atrocious crimes are now almost an hourly occurrence, fed by a lack of accountability for the major human rights violations committed over the past four years and through decades of repression.

The Syrian people have been exposed to chemical weapons, which should have been relegated to the past – and to new, indiscriminate killing devices such as barrel bombs and hell cannons.

The conflict has given rise to terrorist groups such as Da’esh and Al Nusra Front, and fuelled sectarianism and radicalization throughout and beyond the region.

And funding for humanitarian activities continues to be outpaced by the gargantuan and ever-growing scale of needs.

The situation is a clear threat to international peace and security that should compel us all to consider what more we can do to end the carnage and uphold our responsibilities.

It was in this context that on 28 March I instructed my Special Envoy for Syria, Mr. Staffan de Mistura, to intensify efforts by the United Nations to find a political settlement to the conflict. Specifically, I asked him to work to operationalize the Geneva Communiqué.

The Security Council unanimously endorsed the Geneva Communiqué in its resolution 2118. The document contains principles and guidelines to end the violence and launch a Syrian-led political process leading to a transition that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people.

The Communiqué remains the only internationally agreed basis for a political settlement to the Syrian conflict, and was the foundation for recent initiatives such as the Cairo and Moscow processes.

Mr. de Mistura will brief you on his consultations. I would like to highlight four key points.

First, Mr. de Mistura’s description of the state of the Syrian crisis is a synthesis of what we heard from an inclusive and representative group of Syrian and non-Syrian stakeholders.

Second, amidst gaping fault lines, there are points of consensus upon which a credible political process can be constructed.

Syrians and external actors alike possess a shared sense of concern regarding the threshold that the conflict has now reached.

No one wants to risk the chaos of an uncontrolled transition in Damascus. All reject a future Syria divided along sectarian lines. Many Syrians warned that the country is entering a cycle of fragmentation and radicalization from which it will be hard to exit.

Our Syrian interlocutors also lamented that their country is caught in a regional proxy war that is beyond Syrians’ ability to resolve by themselves.

Almost all pointed to an urgent need for the international community to act now if we want to save and preserve what is left of Syria. As the situation deteriorates, Syrians predict that the prospects for achieving a political solution will also recede.

Third, the Syrians with whom we spoke share many of the same aspirations.

They want to protect the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence, and to determine their own future free from external intervention.

They consider it impossible to return to the past.

They reject violent extremism and terrorism, and support a non-sectarian, multi-confessional and inclusive society.

And they yearn to build a genuinely democratic Syria based on human rights and the rule of law.

Fourth and finally, the consultations made clear that the major stumbling block in the political process remains the issue of forming a Transitional Governing Body, or TGB, with full executive powers that can create a suitable environment and safety for all during the transition.

The TGB is the top priority for the opposition, while the Syrian government has told us that such an institution would be unconstitutional.

Although difficult, these are not insurmountable obstacles and differences. Mr. de Mistura will therefore present a proposal to launch a political process aimed at enabling Syrians to negotiate a framework agreement on how to implement all aspects of the Geneva Communiqué.

The main goal of these preparatory negotiations will be to reach intra-Syrian agreement on the elements of the Geneva Communiqué, including on the issue of the TGB, as well as to effectively fight terrorism.

I stand ready to convene a high-level international conference to endorse any recommendations or agreement that this Syrian-led political process may reach.

The status quo in Syria is unacceptable. Some argue that we must wait to end this nightmare until there is a more propitious alignment of regional and international circumstances. This would be both immoral and irresponsible.

We must not condemn the Syrian people to even deeper despair. We must not condemn the region to unending turmoil.

Today I ask the Security Council to endorse Mr. de Mistura’s recommendations and work with the Syrian parties to convince them to participate constructively in this proposed process.

Just as important, the Council has a responsibility to support the political process by acting to de-escalate the conflict.

We must ensure that these preparatory negotiations are meaningful and not cynically exploited as a license to continue the killing.

I urge the Security Council, Syria’s neighbours and regional sponsors of the Syrian parties to stem all flows of arms and foreign fighters pouring into the country.

While ending the bloodshed remains primarily the responsibility of the Syrian parties, especially President Bashar al-Assad, there is much that the region and the international community can do to starve the fire of its fuel.

We must also build on the political momentum that has been generated by the nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 countries. The unity that generated that agreement can help point the way towards conflict resolution in Syria and greater stability across the region.

For the moment, the greatest obstacle to ending the Syrian war is the notion that it can be won militarily. It is our failure to act with a unified voice that perpetuates this harmful illusion and allows the Syrian parties to think that there is some alternative other than coming to the negotiating table.

Today, Mr. de Mistura and I will outline a way forward to reach the political solution that all claim to support. I urge you to give this proposal your full support. If you do not, the world expects this body to present a viable alternative.

Thank you.

29 July - Special Envoy for Syria briefs Security Council on the situation in Syria

23 July22 July21 July20 July
As part of his consultations with regional stakeholders and members of the Security Council, Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura visited Beijing today where he met with the Chinese Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Li Baodong, and the Director-General of the Department of International Organizations and Conferences, Mr. Li Junhua. During his meetings in Beijing, the Special Envoy discussed the regional situation and the importance for the Security Council members to reach a common understanding on how to proceed with a political process aimed at operationalizing the Geneva Communiqué.

Prior to Beijing, the Special Envoy went to Cairo especially to have a meeting with the Secretary-General of League of Arab States Mr. Nabil El Araby. On that occasion, Mr. de Mistura had the opportunity of discussing the future meeting at the Security Council on Syria and to exchange views on ways to promote a political solution to the conflict.

While in Cairo, Mr. De Mistura also met with Syrian opposition figures present there.

15 July14 July13 July
Within the framework of the ongoing Consultations on Syria, Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura visited the State of Qatar where he met with the Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr. Mohammad Bin Abdullah Bin Mutib Al Rumaihi on 12 July 2015.

On the same day, he visited the United Arab Emirates where he met with the Minister for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Throughout his discussions, the Special Envoy noted once again the need for starting a process leading to a political solution to the Syrian crisis through constructive dialogue.

Mr. de Mistura will continue his consultations with Member States in the region in the coming few days.

11 July10 July2 July26 & 27 June25 & 26 June19 June18 June16 June
Within the framework of the Geneva Consultations, Deputy Special Envoy for Syria Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy met today with representatives of the Syrian Federation for Human Rights Organizations and Bodies and the National Democratic Action Committee, Ms. Mais El Krydee, Mr. Mahmoud Marai and Mr. Jwan Alyoussef. They briefed Mr. Ramzy on the overall situation on the ground as well as on the situation in the area of human rights in Syria. They also shared views and perspectives for a political solution to the conflict in Syria.15 June11 June
Within the framework of the Geneva Consultations, Deputy Special Envoy for Syria, Mr. Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy met with Mr. Mohammad Marwan Al-Atrash and Mr. Habib Haddad from the Syrian Democratic National Block. They shared views on a political solution to the Syrian conflict. They also discussed with Mr. Ramzy the role of the international community and the United Nations in supporting Syrian efforts to end the conflict.

At the end of today’s meeting, Mr. Ramzy underscored the urgency of a Syrian-led political solution to the conflict. In this regard, he stressed the importance of efforts towards unity and consensus among opposition groups.

10 June9 June
In the framework of the Geneva consultations, U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Mr. Staffan de Mistura met today with a delegation from The Day After Association, led by Mr. Murhaf Joueijati, and a delegation from the Cordoba Working Group, led by Mr. Mohamed Ahmed Barmou.

Both delegations shared with the U.N. Special Envoy their perspectives for a political solution in Syria and discussed the worsening situation on the ground.

At the end of his meetings, Mr. de Mistura reiterated his strong conviction that only a political solution can address the root causes of the ongoing conflict in a sustainable manner and bring it to an end.8 June5 June4 June2 June1 June30 May29 May28 May27 May24 May22 May21 May12 May